A classroom teacher’s view on homework

LE: What is your position on the issue of research?
I address as an educator and as the parent of school age kids when I address this question. I do see homework as having a function in the instructional procedure and I do not agree with Alfie Kohn (see post), who appears to believe homework is useless, or even worse, has an unfavorable impact. While Kohn asserts there is almost no research that shows research to be helpful, I did not see a convincing amount of hard data to support eliminating all homework.
Yes, the quantity of research need to be based on the students age and grade level. As many Kindergarten-3rd grade instructors are self-contained, it ought to be fairly simple to provide math research one night, spelling or reading one night, etc to avoid straining 5 to 8-year-olds. I see homework to extend learning.
Our textbook mentions it can take 24 repeatings of a skill for a student to reach 80% competency. I believe practicing abilities is beneficial. Kohns comparison with tennis does not make good sense to me. There are abilities in tennis you must practice to improve. There are fundamental mathematics abilities children need to practice to develop a solid structure before proceeding to higher-level mathematics skills. Kohn explains how trainees may progress at remembering, however not believing. I see this as 2 different things; we need trainees to keep in mind particular facts and then proceed to using those skills as thinkers and issue solvers.
As a parent, it can be challenging to squeeze in research some nights! We do the finest we can, and if we have concerns or issues, I reach out to the teacher. Again, great teachers make it a point to know what some home circumstances may be like and to modify accordingly.

I do see research as having a role in the academic process and I do not concur with Alfie Kohn (see short article), who appears to believe homework is useless, or even worse, has a negative effect. While Kohn asserts there is nearly no research study that proves research to be helpful, I did not see a persuading amount of difficult data to support doing away with all research.
Yes, the quantity of research need to be based on the students age and grade level. As a lot of Kindergarten-3rd grade instructors are self-contained, it ought to be fairly easy to provide math homework one night, checking out or spelling one night, and so on to avoid overwhelming 5 to 8-year-olds. Homework can be a divisive subject in the education community, and we hope you can value this instructors point of view.

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Homework can be a dissentious subject in the education neighborhood, and we hope you can value this teachers point of view. How do you communicate with families about homework?

When thinking of research, instructors find it helpful to communicate their policy with the households of their trainees. After just recently completing a Learners Edge course, Jennifer Lindsey, a fourth grade teacher from Pennsylvania, assessed her research philosophy that includes the purposeful functions teachers and households play.

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